Impact of Canal Encroachment on Flood and Economic Vulnerability in Northern Bangladesh

Arifa Yasmin Mukta, Md. Emdadul Haque, Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam, Md. Abdul Fattah, Williamson Gustave, Hussein Almohamad, Ahmed Abdullah Al Dughairi, Motrih Al-Mutiry and Hazem Ghassan Abdo
Additional contact information
Arifa Yasmin Mukta: Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur 5400, Bangladesh
Md. Emdadul Haque: Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur 5400, Bangladesh
Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam: Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur 5400, Bangladesh
Md. Abdul Fattah: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh
Williamson Gustave: School of Chemistry, Environmental & Life Sciences, University of the Bahamas, Nassau 4912, Bahamas
Hussein Almohamad: Department of Geography, College of Arabic Language and Social Studies, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Abdullah Al Dughairi: Department of Geography, College of Arabic Language and Social Studies, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Motrih Al-Mutiry: Department of Geography, College of Arts, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Hazem Ghassan Abdo: Geography Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartous, Tartous P.O. Box 2147, Syria

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-21

Abstract: River and canal encroachments have become a common problem in Bangladesh. The prevalence of river and canal encroachments has a direct impact on population growth. However, the impacted population appears to be unaware of its negative consequences. To this end, we aimed to investigate the past and present canal scenarios with a focus on canal encroachment as the influencing factor in Ulipur upazila (highly vulnerable) of northern Bangladesh. To examine the impact of this encroachment, the Flood Vulnerability Index (FVI), Adaptive Capacity Index (ACI) and Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) were used. Our results showed signs of narrowing of the canal structure of Ulipur upazila in 1982 and 1992, while satellite images from 2002 and 2012 showed the presence of encroachment in the middle and lower parts of the canal. The FVI value for Hatia union was 0.703, indicating that this area was highly vulnerable to flooding. According to the ACI, the Pandul union has a high capacity to cope with flood impact, while the Hatia union has less capacity to cope with flood impact. Conversely, Hatia’s union EVI value was 72.8, denoting a high economic vulnerability. Canal encroachments will have negative consequences for these impacted unions. It is critical to reduce the flooding and economic vulnerabilities associated with canal encroachments. It is found that canal excavation is very important for controlling flood water and reducing the damage caused by flooding.

Keywords: encroachment; vulnerability; MNDWI; FVI; ACI; EVI; Ulipur upazila (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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